European social-housing refurbishment is under pressure to deliver deep energy upgrades at speed, while also responding more carefully to the residents who live with the consequences of renovation. Industrialised modular façade systems can accelerate retrofit, improve quality control, and reduce on-site disruption, but they also risk reinforcing standardised solutions.

In many renovation processes, resident values are surfaced through engagement but enter too late to influence module configuration, material expression, façade operability or the way the façade meets the street outside and shapes the dwelling inside This thesis addresses this problem as a value–design translation gap: the missing methodological step between identifying what residents value and integrating those values in architectural and technical façade decisions.

The research develops, applies, and evaluates a Value–Indicator Framework for modular façade renovation in social housing. Through literature review and cross-case analysis of eight European social-housing renovation cases, six recurring resident values are identified: comfort, affordability, fairness, empowerment, sustainability, and identity. These values are translated into architectural design indicators that could guide the modular façade design.

The framework is then operationalised through the Value-Integrated Modular Façade System (VIMFS), a two-layer system in which Layer 1 provides a standardised technical performance baseline, including insulation, airtightness weather protection. Layer 2 the adaptive socio-technical interface, carries the bounded resident-facing variation, through value-affinity clusters and a component catalogue.

The framework is tested through Research by Design on a post-war walk-up apartment block in Rotterdam-West. A four-step configuration logic translates value priorities into four traceable design variants: V01 Control and Comfort, V02 Clear and Affordable Upgrade, V03 Ecological Renewal and V04 Community Threshold. All variants share the same Layer 1 standardised performance layer so that every resident receives the same technical envelope, while differentiation is produced through the component selection of layer 2 via the catalogue. In short, layer 1 secures fairness across all dwellings; layer 2 allows residents to express what matters to them.

The variants are evaluated through seventeen key performance indicators (KPIs) to test whether resident values remain visible, measurable, and differentiated at design stage.
The resulting scores are V01 = 15/17, V02 = 12.5/17, V03 = 16/17 and V04 = 15.5/17.
This thesis shows that modular façade renovation does not have to choose between industrialised standardisation and resident responsiveness. If variation is bounded, documented, and technically coordinated, an equal technical baseline can coexist with value-led differentiation.

The contribution is not a fully engineered façade product or a validated participation process, but traceable design-stage method for translating resident values into modular façade renovation design.
In doing so, the thesis positions the façade as a socio-technical interface between building performance, modular construction logic, and everyday residential life. ... Read more

The global demand for cooling in the built environment is expected to increase in the near future due to factors such as climate change and rising temperatures. Solar cooling technologies offer a promising option to address the environmental challenges associated with the growing demand for space cooling. These technologies are based on producing conditioned air or chilled water using solar energy.

Building façades have significant potential for integrating solar cooling technologies and are increasingly evolving into multifunctional components that actively contribute to building energy systems. Through the integration of energy-related services, façades can support energy savings while enhancing occupant comfort. Despite this potential, the widespread application of solar cooling integrated façades remains limited. This is largely due to various technical, economic, and process-related challenges that hinder broader adoption. Providing clear guidance to relevant stakeholders to assess current levels of technology adoption and address existing challenges can play a key role in enabling successful implementation. Accordingly, the main research question of this dissertation is as follows:

How can the design and development of solar cooling integrated façades be guided to support their widespread application?

The research project aimed to provide a product design and development framework for solar cooling integrated façades to support their widespread application. Developing such a framework required several steps, including identifying key challenges and critical aspects to be considered; determining enabling factors and future application prospects; developing strategies to guide façade design and evaluation; and identifying, outlining, and validating key decisions, required information, and involved stakeholders. ... Read more

The built environment is undergoing a critical transformation as it strives to meet ambitious climate targets, including the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. One key area of focus is the renovation of the existing building stock, where envelope upgrades can drastically improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. However, current renovation methods often follow a linear approach, neglecting circular principles. This project explores the development of a circular, adaptable and industrialised façade system as a scalable solution for sustainable renovation. Using a research-through-design methodology, the study analyses design criteria for a façade system that enables disassembly, reuse and adaptability to various façade layouts.

A design framework was created that ranks materials and connections by embodied carbon, end-of-life, service life, disassembly ease, cost, adaptability and reuse potential. Two case study row houses were used to test the designs: one using a traditional prefabricated timber structure and the other using a new, modular design approach. Evaluation combined Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), the Material Circularity Indicator (MCI), and the 3DR method (disassemblability, deconstructability, resilience) to quantify environmental impact and circular performance.

The results showed that each façade configuration suits a different need, such as cost, ease of disassembly, use of regenerative or less materials and so on. However, one overall best option stood out: a timber-frame structure combined with ClickBrick cladding. This solution achieved the highest cumulative score in circularity, adaptability and long-term reusability.

The report concludes that circularity must be built into the design process from the start. Key strategies include breaking façades into layers, reducing material use, choosing recycled or bio-based materials and using dry, reversible connections. Following these steps will help design a façade system that is reusable, adaptable and maintainable over multiple cycles of use, thereby supporting a more sustainable and circular building sector ... Read more

The Dutch residential building sector must transition toward energy-efficient renovations to address climate change and reduce energy consumption. However, the early design phase, where critical decisions about energy renovation scenarios are made, often presents significant challenges. Project developers face issues such as unclear prioritization of decision criteria and inefficient processes for evaluating and comparing renovation alternatives. These challenges frequently lead to delays and hinder the selection of optimal solutions. This research aims to identify and address the key problems in the decision-making process during the early design phase of residential energy renovations. The central research question is: “How can the decision-making process in the early design phase of energy renovations in residential buildings be improved to enable project developers to make efficient decisions that consider environmental, economic, and social factors?” The study identifies critical bottlenecks in the early design process, such as fragmented criteria selection and the absence of a systematic approach for evaluating renovation scenarios. A structured decision-support framework is proposed, focusing on defining relevant criteria, integrating stakeholder inputs, and ranking alternatives using a balanced and transparent weighting method. The added value of this framework lies in enabling project developers to make quicker, well-informed decisions by simplifying complex processes and clarifying priorities. While a computational tool may be developed as a final product, this research prioritizes understanding and improving the decision-making process itself. Validation through a case study ensures practical applicability and relevance to the challenges faced by project developers. By providing a systematic and innovative approach to decision-making, this study enables faster and more practical decision-making processes. It contributes to the efficient planning and execution of energy renovations in residential buildings, supporting the sector’s transition to sustainability and climate resilience. ... Read more

Europe needs to redefine the way architecture is being built, and also, more importantly, renovated. That is the case also for Poland, with a large stock of degraded housing.
This research explores the potential of bio-based materials and strategies in retrofitting Polish inter-war masonry tenement housing, focusing on circularity while addressing technical requirements, user needs and maintaining historical integrity. Through literature review, market research, cataloguing, and interviews with professionals, the study identifies key challenges in energy efficiency, moisture management, and user satisfaction, proposing bio-based materials such as wood, hemp, flax, wood fibre, straw and many others as effective solutions.
The design focuses on one of the buildings along Grochowska street in Warsaw, with an intention that it could be easily applied to other bildings of the same typology, numerous in the capital. A timber-based structure system is proposed in key interventions to the building, adding new usable space for the residents along with energy retrofitting. Custom timber joinery was developed for that purpose, dawing inspiration from japanese and polsh craftmenship.
The findings of the research emphasize the importance of navigating technical requirements with user preferences, which include affordability, comfort, and adaptability. By addressing these factors, bio-based solutions offer significant advantages in reducing environmental impact of the refurbishment action while enhancing living conditions. To bridge the gap between innovative practices and real-world application, the study also develops a guidebook and materials catalogue, providing accessible knowledge base about biobased renovation strategies to homeowners, designers, and policymakers.
This work contributes to renewable building practices by demonstrating how bio-based strategies can meet both ecological and practical demands, offering a path toward decarbonizing and futureproofing Poland’s aging housing stock. ... Read more

Recent geopolitical events have driven a sharp rise in gas prices, making it increasingly difficult for households to heat their homes affordably and comfortably. Additionally, the environmental consequences of fossil fuel-based heating underscore the urgency of transitioning to more sustainable alternatives. In response, the Dutch government has set an ambitious target to eliminate natural gas heating in 1.5 million homes by 2030, emphasising the need for viable solutions. District heating (DH) systems, particularly those providing lower-temperature heating (LTH), offer a promising alternative—delivering sustainable and cost-effective heating, especially in densely populated areas. However, with their high heating demands, many existing homes require significant renovations before efficiently transitioning to LTH-based systems. The selection of appropriate renovation strategies is complex, often leading to uncertainty and delays. This research tackles the challenge of preparing Dutch homes for LTH by developing a systematic decision-support framework using a mixed-methods research approach. It is structured around four key research activities. First, it identifies and analyses the critical factors influencing building characteristics, available renovation options and performance indicators. Second, it defines LTH readiness, prioritises thermal comfort and energy efficiency at reduced supply temperatures, and uses a two-step evaluation method to assess a dwelling's readiness and identify necessary interventions. Third, recognising the diversity within the Dutch housing stock, probabilistic sampling and machine learning analyses were employed to quantify the relative significance of building features affecting LTH readiness, accounting for variations across dwelling types. Finally, a structured six-step decision support framework based on multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods was developed and validated through real-world case studies and stakeholder workshops. By providing a clear and actionable decision-support framework, this thesis facilitates energy renovation planning, accelerates the transition to gas-free heating, and contributes to the Netherlands' broader sustainable energy goals. ... Read more

Buildings consume tremendous energy, and many are used for air conditioning, especially in office buildings. New alternatives to conventional air conditioning have become a global priority. Several studies have shown that applying solar cooling systems to façade systems is very promising in hot regions because it is recognized as a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional compression refrigeration systems.

The intention of this research is to explore the design and development potential of solar desiccant cooling technology integration in façade systems. This study takes Shenzhen, a city in southern China, as the case with hot and humid subtropical climate contexts, and the target building typology is the new-built high rise office building. The biggest challenge is to study how to integrate multiple systems into one façade module and how they work. Additionally, it is also significant to evaluate to what extent the design solution contributes to minimizing cooling energy consumption. This thesis aims to identify the technical constraints to overcome for façade application and establish some instrumental design guides that can potentially feed future work.
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The linear economy of Take-Make-Dispose creates environmental pollution, increases the cost of raw materials, increases waste and creates CO2 emissions. The new Circular Economy Action Plan aims to design products that prevent waste and retain resources in the EU economy. The building and construction industry contributes to 35% of the total waste produced globally. Facades are complex multilayered system with lifespan shorter than the structure. A façade system reaches its end of technical life often compared to the structure. Effective End-of-Life management of a façade can enable material recovery, recycling and reuse. The environmental impacts play an important role in the End-of-Life decision making of a system followed by the material costs. Design aids like MFA and LCA act as the evaluative design aids to access circularity based on the environmental impacts. But these evaluative design aids are time-consuming. Thus, the generative design aids that are based on the evaluative design aids can guide the façade designers in designing a façade system which is circular at the End-of-Life. The project derives guidelines for a circular End-of-Life design of a façade system. The project employs a mixed methodology consisting of literature research and research through design process. Several design variants with different End-of-Life scenarios were designed and evaluated for environmental impacts and market-based material and installation costs. Results indicated that reuse scenarios had the least environmental impacts, but the reuse scenario was governed by the lifespan of the materials in the system. The market-based material and installation costs of the materials were found to be high for long-lifespan materials compared to the short lifespan materials. For the bio-based variants, it was found that despite having lower global warming potential impacts at the manufacturing stage, in most of the cases, the materials are downgraded at the End-of-Life. The environmental impacts and costs were compared to form the design guidelines for façade designers to take decisions at the preliminary design stage. Further, the guidelines are translated information considerations based on the tipping points identified after analysing the results. The guidelines and the information considerations are further validated by designing a façade system based on the variants. ... Read more

The current Dutch building sector is heavily dependent on natural gas for its energy consumption, of which a very significant part is used to meet the space heating demand. To mitigate the climate crisis, a transition from fossil fuels to renewable energies has to be made. However, renewable energy sources are usually low-temperature heating sources, prompting the need for renovation. There are often multiple renovation solutions per project, with each their unique effect. Determining the optimal solution out of those renovation concepts that enable low-temperature heating (LTH) is challenging due to the varying performance of the renovation scenarios, multi-stakeholder involvement with each their own preferences and the lack of a clear decision-making process.
This research aims to provide holistic decision-support and aid in the identification of the most suitable renovation alternative. The research question central to this study is: ‘How can the decision-making process of selecting an energy renovation concept be supported that aims to make existing residential buildings compatible with low-temperature heating?’. This research focuses on multi-family buildings in the Netherlands and considers a temperature range of 30-55 °C to be LT.
To answer the research question, an extensive literature research is conducted on the topics of LTH and decision-support in energy renovations. Based on the results from the literature study, a LTH decision-support framework and tool is developed. The MCDM TOPSIS method is used to evaluate the performance of the renovation alternatives and is combined with the pairwise comparison method to capture the stakeholders preferences. The framework and tool is validated on its function and usability through a case study application on a 1979 apartment building and a workshop with 4 expert stakeholders. In addition to the evaluation of the 4 renovation scenarios from the case study, 9 additional renovation scenarios are developed and compared. A LTH-Rhino/grasshopper tool is used to simulate the heating demand and thermal comfort for all 13 scenarios to evaluate the LT-readiness of the alternatives.
One of the key findings of this research is that the developed framework and tool can support the decision-making process on LT-renovation scenarios. This support is provided by structuring the decision-making process through aiding in the identification of decision parameters, making the stakeholders’ preferences explicit through pairwise comparison and ranking the renovation alternatives based on quantified performance values and criteria weights representing the stakeholders’ preferences through TOPSIS. The framework evaluates LT-readiness to identify if there is a need for renovation, and filters non-suitable scenarios based on the LTH-grasshopper simulation results.
The framework ensures that all relevant decision-making aspects are considered systematically, and the tool facilitates a transparent and data-driven selection process. Together, they provide holistic decision-support, leading to better-informed decisions. This research motivates to enable LTH, thereby mitigating climate change and ensuring a sustainable future. ... Read more

Global warming is causing more extreme weathers leading to floods, inundation, high temperatures and increasing of cooling demands. More resilient homes and mitigation of CO2 emissions are needed. This thesis aims to investigate the integration of passive cooling to adaptive flood-resistant homes. The popular stilts houses located in the Mekong Delta are being analyzed: a vernacular home developed by the inhabitants that aims to cope with the local climate and floods. Multiple researchers concluded that improvements need to be made to cope with overheating in homes and for more dangerous floods in the future. According to literature review designs that incorporate insulation, natural ventilation, (moveable) shading and operable windows are the best methods for passive cooling of buildings in humid climates. Amphibious structures enable buildings to adapt to the changing water levels but staying fixed to one place. Simulations demonstrate that transforming a traditional stilt house into a flood-resistant amphibious home can reduce the operative temperature by a maximum of 1 degree Celsius. Integrating insulation in the walls and roof, along with an insulated tropical roof and floor vents, can lead to a maximum temperature reduction of 4 degrees Celsius. As a result; lower indoor temperature, adaptive flood-resistance and reduced energy demand for cooling. Further research and attention is needed to make designing for homes related to flood circumstances more accurate and find more of an approach that lives with water instead of fleeing from it. ... Read more

To reduce global warming the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) must be net zero in 2050, Paris agreement. In the Netherlands the building sector is responsible for 38% of total GHG emissions, 27% being operational carbon (related to energy use) and 11% embodied carbon (related to the use of materials). A large portion of the GHG emissions in this sector originates from existing residential buildings and is for the majority related to energy for heating.

Renovating existing buildings is a key step in reducing operational carbon emissions related to heating. Due to the environmental advantages of renovation, it acts as the first step to reduce carbon emissions. The general strategy to reduce carbon emissions, first focuses on the operational carbon by transitioning from non-renewable depletable energy sources to renewable, sustainable energy sources, also known as the energy transition, starting with replacing natural gas for heating and cooking. In the Netherlands the target is to reduce 49% of GHG emissions compared to 1990 by 2030, and 95% by 2050. In practical terms this requires a renovation of 1.5 million residential buildings by 2030 and 5.5 million residential buildings by 2050.

As operational carbon decreases, reducing the embodied carbon becomes more important. Unlike operational carbon which is only present during the in-use stage of a building, the embodied carbon is present in all stages of a building’s life cycle. Clear standards on the assessment of carbon emissions over the full life cycle of a building are missing. Due to this current strategies are not selected to reduce carbon emissions on the complete spectrum of carbon emissions. The risk is that the overall carbon reduction of the building stock is less than expected.

Renovation changes the life cycle of a building and thus its long term performance. Renovations with high energy saving often can’t be performed in a single step due to high investment costs. Therefore renovation is often executed in multiple steps. Understanding the effects of different use-phase scenarios can help reduce carbon emissions on the long term.

Furthermore, assessing the performance of all generated renovation solutions, at an early design stage, can be time consuming and requires a high level of information. This limits the number of renovation options explored and indirectly influences the effectiveness of a renovation.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate how assessment of renovation strategies can be simplified to support decision making in renovation. The thesis investigates different renovation strategies and scenarios for the in use stage of a terraced house, to improve decision/making in renovation, by looking at the level of renovation, renovation measures, renovation execution and decision making criteria. The data gathered is used to create a tool, supporting decision-making for renovation strategies. Data is obtained using various tools, and by performing among others a simplified Life cycle analysis (LCA) and life cycle costs (LCC) assessment. The performance of the renovation strategies are evaluated based on energy performance, environmental performance and costs.
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The Netherlands aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 49% before 2030, with the built environment contributing 15% of these emissions largely due to the heavy reliance on natural gas to meet space heating demands. To phase out natural gas, alternatives such as heat pumps and district heat networks are being considered. However, adapting existing buildings to lower supply temperature district heating requires effective refurbishment to maintain thermal comfort for occupants. The challenges hindering this process include i) addressing multiple housing typologies at the neighbourhood scale, ii) complexity of evaluating refurbishment measures by decision-makers, iii) uncertainty due to lack of consideration of life cycle costs and occupancy behaviour pre and post-refurbishment leading to performance gaps in energy savings and iv) current computationally demanding and inaccessible tools to assess refurbishment measures. Therefore, this thesis proposes a method to develop a surrogate model-based decision-making tool that can help homeowners efficiently assess optimal, combined refurbishment measures to help homeowners transition to low-temperature district heating. In order to develop this tool, the study examines literature studies that help define the input parameters for the underlying parametric simulation including. This also helped define the key performance indicators including energy savings, hours too cold and global cost. Furthermore, the underlying simulation model with 13 input parameters provides the synthetic training data with 2000 design samples using the uniform Latin hypercube sampling method for each of the three housing archetypes including i) terraced, ii) detached and iii) Portiek apartments. The best-performing model in this instance included artificial neural networks with an R-squared above 0.95. The surrogate model is then integrated into the optimization workflow that forms the framework for an interface decision-making tool that users can use to generate optimal low-temperature ready refurbishment packages. The common low-temperature ready refurbishment packages include maximum airtightness, type C2 CO2 control ventilation system, cavity wall insulation, triple glazing, and internal roof insulation. Furthermore, it can be concluded that its more financially feasible to maintain existing radiators when transitioning to low-temperature heating instead of replacing the radiators with higher capacity. This is because the initial investment in other refurbishment measures not only improves comfort but also delivers significant energy savings that help reduce global costs in the long term. ... Read more

This study intended to combine façade energy renovation strategies with circular design to improve energy performance and overall sustainability and circularity of the existing building stock. BIM technology can facilitate energy renovation projects by following circular design principles. A BIM library can offer most of the benefits of standardization, which is a crucial aspect of a successful circular design. The study's main research question was: “How can a BIM components library facilitate the design of a circular standardized façade renovation system that meets the energy-saving measures and it is adjustable?”It was intended to design a circular components library with BIM software that could provide the designer with the necessary information to help the design process of energy façade renovations. The library consists of standardized components and their different configurations so that the final façade system can be adjustable to different buildings. The library can provide the designers with all the information regarding the components' energy performance and circularity level by creating several evaluation indicators. The main focus of the design was the management of the data and the structure of the BIM library. The findings of the thesis are based on the research of the existing frameworks and guidelines and the “research by design” of the BIM library. The main stages of the thesis were the analog design of the circular standardized façade system and how it can be flexible, the digital design of the façade system with the creation of the BIM library, the validation of the design and the function of the library through the application to the case study building. The BIM library can facilitate the design process by:• Providing easy and quick accessibility to the different circular components of the façade system. • Grouping and organizing the components’ families of the library according to their function and relevance with other components of the system. • Providing information regarding energy performance and circularity with the evaluation indicators. • Counting the different components of the system and their different configurations. This can effectively contribute to the standardization of the system, the minimization of material waste and time, and it will improve its overall circularity level. This thesis provides a pragmatic perspective of the BIM library design and application and an instructional process for the user. It can be used as a starting point for these types of renovation projects. Further research and applications of the BIM library should follow this thesis approach. Also, changes need to be made to the data structure of BIM to improve the efficiency of the proposed library. ... Read more

To prepare the housing stock for the transition to collective, low-temperature heating, minimal renovation strategies for the integration of low-temperature heating and optimal comfort are studied within this research for various single-family housing typologies. Renovation measures on the building and installation scale were considered for the different typologies, which vary in terms of the construction period and building type. The simulations are performed in the software DesignBuilder, on a case study dwelling located in the Netherlands. The low-temperature readiness is assessed based on heat balance and air temperature simulations. Computational Fluid Design within the software is used to determine the effect of the renovation measures on the draught rate and radiant temperature, as these aspects are critically affected by the lowering of the radiator's supply temperature. Additionally, the effect on radiant asymmetry is measured in the software program Stralingsverloop. The outcomes of the study regarding low-temperature readiness indicate the differences in effectiveness of the measures for the different typologies. The study on thermal comfort shows the posibilities for optimizing the thermal comfort through the integration of renovation measures, in particular through the installation of balance ventilation and high performance glazing. Based on the outcomes of both the studies, a individual recommendation is given for each typology. ... Read more

The building industry accounts for almost 40% of the total carbon emissions that are directly responsible for climate change. So far, we have been following a linear economy model which follows a concept of “take-make-use-dispose” and causes a significantly large burden on the natural environment. For this reason, transition to a circular economy is important in order to keep the resources in the economy for as long as possible, and thus reduce this burden. With a rising building stock reaching its end of life, the number of renovations in the coming years will increase significantly. They are expected to reach 35 million in 2030. The main focus of these renovations will be to make buildings energy efficient. While we have been successful in reducing the operational carbon of buildings, there is still scope to reduce the embodied carbon. This is also the main motivator for circularity goals.

It is estimated that the façade may account for between 13 and 17% of the total embodied carbon associated with a building. There is however not a strategic process to designing a circular facade. The methodology followed is the research-through-design methodology.

This project develops a design framework through studying existing literature, taking into account existing examples and pilot research projects - Circl Pavilion, CRL. The process uses the 10R strategy - particularly the cases of Reclaim, Recycle, Reuse, Reduce. This is then applied to the case of Building 22 at the TU Delft campus, and 4 options are developed. The evaluation through a life cycle assessment and building circularity approach is conducted on the platform OneClickLCA. It was found that for a circular design, material selection is very important. Overall materials with a lower embodied carbon should be selected. Moreover, materials with a higher volume of reused content should be prioritized first and a higher volume of bio-based content should be prioritized second. There is also a need to document and create more technical information for circular materials.
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The Paris agreement’s mechanisms for 2050 represent a challenge for the world to achieve Net-zero emission and climate resilience. Retrofitting the existing stock is a critical step in every nation to achieve these goals. The building sector has a significant role in the Net-zero emission transition. The ambitions for retrofitting the Netherlands´ by 2030 and 2050 bring the need to explore new products taking sustainability and circular economy as the basis of design. This research explores the application of a “cradle to cradle” design approach to redesign a sandwich panel currently used as a renovation strategy to wrap existing dwellings in The Netherlands. The research in performed from the perspective of a façade company in the national market.

The current product manufactured by the company is not studied with the end of its service life in mind and is designed mainly with fossil fuels related products. Also, the time component is detached from the product, and scenarios where the materials are “processed and disposed” or “mined and reused” are not considered. The research explores three different façade concepts that contrast with a traditional linear production based mainly on fossil fuels. The analysis brings a set of 24 options, each with three circularity scenarios. The conclusions reveal that the environmental impacts and success of a “cradle to cradle” design strategy has a close relationship with the number of years the existing dwellings will be used. By reusing the existing dwellings for prolonged times (50 and 100 years), the best option for the company is to develop a biobased sandwich panel relying on renewables and materials with low environmental impacts but as an efficient “cradle to grave” strategy. However, for a shorter span of usage in the existing stock (25 years), the best option is a “cradle to cradle” strategy where the resources are taken back to the technical cycle combined with reduced usage of materials for the cladding system.

Some of the technical recommendations suggested are to test the biobased panel for a mechanical test. Afterward, develop the construction details for connections in foundation, windows, and doors to finally build a 1:1 mock-up to be tested for meteorological degradations and durability. Also, further analysis is needed for a financial case for the scenarios where materials are used after a first cycle. Finally, further research is needed to develop fully biobased matrixes to biocomposite fully biodegradable, allowing them to get back into a biological cycle. ... Read more

The Dutch government has set the goal to disconnect all houses from the natural gas network that runs through our country. This to decrease emissions and meet the goals set in the Paris Agreement in an effort to halt the global mean temperature increase. To provide heat to the houses they will need to be heated with electric energy. This heating system is most efficient using lower temperatures therefore the houses will need to have a building envelope which has the right insulation levels. Meaning that a lot of older houses will need to be insulated better and therefore renovated. To reach this goal more than a 1000 house will need to be renovated every day. Ranging from small addition of insulation to houses that have no insulation at all.
To provide this solution this thesis researched the possibility of using parametric design to generate timber frame renovation panels. By doing so the time to engineer these panels could drastically drop while it would still be possible to adjust panels to building owner or designer’s needs.
The boundary of this thesis is set to research the possibilities on prewar row houses as these have the largest impact with the consumption of 21 TWh every year. The process of renovation using prefab elements has
been studied to determine the steps that are to be performed to complete the renovation. Within these steps the panels are engineered. This step has been disected into more detail to see what steps are taken to go from design to a panel that can be manufactured. The steps are then automized using python and grasshopper as software and the engineers decisions are implied by parameters. The steps taken to generate the panels are: determining the to be panelized area, composing the panel contours, creating the panel geometries and calculating the panel specific data. These steps are to be automated by using the step specific parameters which are: the panel size limit, tolerances and geometry sizing and properties. These are decided by the engineer or are already established in the pre-engineering phase. Together they enable the tool to generate building information models of prefabricated building
envelope panels which can be adjusted by its user if required. ... Read more

The Dutch building stock has to switch to alternative energy-efficient heat sources, such as district heating or heat pumps, which will provide a lower supply temperature for the heating system in dwellings. Yet, the consensus is that dwellings need to be intensively renovated, to provide thermal comfort with low-temperature heating. However, it can be argued that a more affordable renovation with less renovation measures can also provide the same level of thermal comfort as the original situation. To this day, it is unknown what the minimal combination of renovation measures could be. Thus, this research aimed to design combinations of renovation measures, which are both affordable, and are able to provide thermal comfort in Dutch terraced houses. These renovation concepts are referred to as LT-Ready concepts. Hence, the main research question answered in this thesis is: “What combination of renovation measures for residential buildings is affordable and provides thermal comfort when using a lower supply temperature for heating?” First, a literature study is conducted. It investigated the available renovation budget of house owners, as well as thermal comfort, including current guidelines and local comfort aspects. Also, possible renovation measures to enable low-temperature heating were researched. Second, to select the most cost-effective renovation measures, a cost analysis was performed. Using this, renovation concepts were developed and tested with dynamic simulation software. Here, the thermal and energy performance was simulated with an adaption of the ATG-method for dwellings. The renovation concepts included the placement of a ventilation system and additional renovation measures. Results provided a variety of renovation concepts that were LT-Ready within a budget of €10,000. Different scenarios were developed with building or budget limitations, after which the best LT-Ready option was selected. In general, it was concluded that demand-driven exhaust ventilation (C2) or balanced ventilation with heat recovery (D1) is preferable. Wall insulation and replacing windows also showed a large effect on improving thermal comfort and reducing the heating demand. Add-on ventilators can boost thermal comfort, while having only a minimal effect on energy performance. In case no insulation can be applied, LT-radiators are an option to provide thermal comfort. This however increases the heating demand. Additionally, local comfort was investigated for different measures on the room. It was shown that small interventions such as add-on fans and furniture placement could substantially influence the air currents and temperature distribution within the living room. Also a tool which compares the heating demand of a dwelling with the available heating capacity at a lower supply temperature to determine whether a dwelling is LT-Ready, or what combination of measures is needed to make it LT-Ready. The tool is based on ISSO-51 and has a general approach which can be used for every terraced dwelling It can be downloaded from http://ltreadytool.nl. Overall, it can be concluded that there is a variety of possible LT-Ready renovations that provides thermal comfort and is affordable, depending on the specific scenario. It is proven that deep renovations are not essential to provide thermal comfort with low-temperature heating. ... Read more

Current renovation practices cannot reach the energy reduction goal that the European Union has set by 2050. The traditional renovation methods are very time-consuming and cannot ensure the final energy improvement. The aim of this thesis focuses on the design of a prefabricated modular façade system that can be adaptable to different building typologies and climates. The main focus is to create a system that will reduce the current energy demands of existing buildings while at the same time giving the opportunity for a faster renovation approach. ... Read more

Users in traditional office buildings often experience discomfort with the indoor environment and have issues with how this is being regulated. Research has shown that users’ satisfaction in an office building, which consists of their comfort and health, reflects on their work productivity. Therefore, necessary measures need to be taken in order to be able to suffice the office users’ needs. Also, due to the fact that the building sector in Europe is responsible for an energy consumption of 40% of the final energy use and this leads to high carbon emissions and dependence on fossil fuels, the European Commission has stipulated regulations, where it is stated that all new buildings have to be nearly zero-energy by the beginning of 2021. Due to the fact that the façade is one of the buildings’ components which has high impact on the indoor comfort and energy use of the building, taking the user’s comfort needs and designing this from the conceptual design phase, can help achieve user satisfaction and enhance work productivity, while also helping achieve nearly energy neutrality.

This research aims to investigate the relevant factors of user satisfaction that could be implemented into façade design, while also investigating state of the art interactive/adaptive façade technologies (passive and active) and energy efficient façade design methods, in order to provide design solutions which optimally satisfies office users’ needs of comfort, and therefore increases work productivity, and also supports nearly energy neutrality of office buildings. This leads to the research question of, “How can an interactive/adaptive office building façade element be designed to optimally satisfy its users in order to increase work productivity and to support nearly energy neutrality of office buildings?”. Optimal indoor satisfaction is defined as office users being thermally comfortable, experiencing comfort in the air quality indoors, the acoustics, and the lighting, and also when other human preferences are met such as, having control of their environment, having a view, and having an appealing place to work.

Based on literature review regarding user satisfaction, façade design, state of the art interactive/adaptive technologies, and energy efficient design methods, the design considerations were stipulated. These are user comfort, user control, energy efficiency, and user preferences. The user preferences is the most subjective criteria, because it expresses the preferences and desires of specific type of people. Therefore, this research presents office façade designs for specific type of users, namely the Energy Efficient archetype, the Self-Adaptive environment archetype, and the Full-Control of their environment archetype. The evaluation of these design configurations show that it is almost impossible to have one interactive/adaptive façade design that complies with all of the user
preferences of all types of users, because every type of user has different preferences and some might contradict each other. Nevertheless, this research concludes on design characteristics derived from the presented design
configurations, which show how the most optimal officer-user oriented façade design should function, that can ensure user satisfaction for different types of users and can help its building become nearly energy neutral. ... Read more